For the third straight day, Delhi’s air quality was considered to be ‘severe’. SAFAR, a forecasting organisation within the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences, said that on Saturday morning, the total air quality index (AQI) in the capital was 431. The AQI was 529 in Noida, 478 in Gurugram, 446 in Ghaziabad, and 463 in Faridabad, the satellite cities of Delhi, where the air quality was worse (Haryana). The amount of stubble burning in Delhi’s PM2.5 pollution increased on Thursday to 34%, the largest amount so far this season, which experts claimed was the cause of the thick blanket of noxious haze enveloping the national capital.
Primary schools will be closed starting on Saturday, the AAP administration declared on Friday, in response to the unusually high levels of air pollution in Delhi. In addition, it advised private offices to adopt a similar policy and ordered 50% of its employees to work from home. Due to the worsening air quality in the National Capital Region, all institutions in Noida and Greater Noida are currently offering courses online for pupils up to Class 8 until November 8. Sports and other outside gatherings have also been outright forbidden at all schools.
A prohibition on non-BS VI diesel-powered light motor vehicles is among the anti-pollution measures suggested by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) that are now in effect in the nation’s capital. Only diesel trucks transporting vital goods or offering essential services will be permitted access into Delhi. The Transport Department issued a directive, allowing all CNG and electric trucks to enter Delhi. According to a top official, there would be a 20,000 rupee fine for anyone found in violation of the Delhi government’s ban on certain cars off the road due to increased pollution.
Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of Delhi, and Bhagwant Mann, the chief minister of Punjab, both took responsibility for the practise of stubble burning in the agricultural state and pledged to end it by the coming winter during a news conference on Friday. In the meanwhile, the Supreme Court decided to schedule a public interest case seeking new regulations on stubble burning for hearing on November 10. The National Human Rights Commission requested that the chief secretaries of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi come before it on November 10 to examine the unsafe air quality.
Post Your Comments